On hikes in Spain, I repeatedly came across these idiosyncratic giants, often standing in the middle of nowhere. Their monumental size and shape evoke contrasting and seemingly contradictory associations: on the one hand, the almost sacred grandeur of a cathedral; on the other, the brutal architecture of Stalinist urban planning. They appear abstract and unapproachable, and their current redundancy makes them seem out of place, yet they impress with their imposing, powerful presence.

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